The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting Virginia-issued mobile driver licenses at checkpoints with digital ID readers nationwide.
Travelers who have downloaded the Virginia Mobile ID app to their smart phone can use that for identity verification during the screening process in lieu of handing over a physical photo ID and boarding pass to the TSA security officer at the entry to the checkpoints at Virginia airports with the readers and other airports nationwide.
Virginia’s Mobile ID (mID) is a voluntary, secure and digital version of a Virginia-issued driver’s license or ID card that individuals carry in an app on their smartphone.
To get the Virginia mID, individuals must have a valid Virginia driver’s license or ID card. To enroll, download the Virginia mID app from the Apple Store or Google Play. It serves as a convenient option when going through the security process. Travelers should always carry an acceptable form of ID such as a card or passport.
Virginia residents can use their TSA approved digital ID for identity verification at more than 230 airports where TSA has credential authentication technology units with more airports coming on board each week. These units are equipped with digital ID readers and a camera that captures a real-time photo of the traveler to match the face of the person with the face on their ID. After the TSA officer clears the person into the checkpoint, the photos are deleted.
The units are also able to verify that an individual is ticketed for air travel that day, so the traveler does not need to show a boarding pass to the TSA officer, although a boarding pass is needed to present to the airline gate agent.
The original announcement can be found here.